Snuffer for oil lamps and lanterns



Deco 3, 1935. Q lRVlNE 1 2,022,719

SNUFFER FOR OIL LAMPS AND LANTERNS Filed March 21, 1935 flttornePatented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y 1 Claim.

The invention relates to oil burning lamps and lanterns, and provides asimple and efficient device for automatically extinguishing the flame inthe event of the lamp or lantern being overturned so that the attendantfire hazard will be eliminated.

The device is composed of a pair of arcuate plates having arms pivotedto suitable attaching means on the wick tube of the burner. The platesare furnished with fingers that normally retain them at each side of thewick in order that one or the other will swing over it should the lampor lantern be upset.

A distinctive feature of the invention resides in the attaching means,which comprises a detachable member constructed to clip onto the wicktube and equipped with integral pintles on which the arms of the platesare swingably mounted.

The device is inexpensive to manufacture, efficient in operation, andcan be attached to conventional lamps and lanterns.

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of a lamp burner to which the presentinvention is shown applied.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a view at right angles to Figure 1, but showing the burneron its side with one of the snufier plates thrown over the wick.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the attaching clip.

Figure 5 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 6 is a side View of one of the snuifer plates, and Figure '7 anend view thereof.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of thefigures throughout the drawing of the invention.

In the drawing, the reference numeral [0 denotes the conventional burnerof an oil lamp or lantern. This has the usual wick H fed through theburner by a wheel 12 to the tube l3 projecting from the top of theburner. The tube is fiat sided and has rounded edges as customary. The

orifice is flared slightly as denoted at IS.

The snuifer plates 16 are of identical construction and each is of anarcuate cross section taken on an arc of a circle the centre of which isthe pivotal axis of the arms 11. The plates are fashioned from sheetmetal and the arms are integrally formed at right angles to the lengthof the plates. The plates are of a length slightly greater than thedistance between the rounded edges of 5 the wick tube and are eachsustained by a finger as at l8 that abuts the respective side of thetube.

The arms are loosely pivoted on the aligned pintles l9 extendingoutwardly from the edges of the tube and borne by the attaching means.

The clip, constituting the attaching means, consists of a sheet metalmember 20 extending across one side of the wick tube with the end 2|incurvate to fit about one of the rounded off edges of said tube. Theother end 22 of the member 20 is also incurvate but is continued andout-turned as at 23 to form a latch. A strip of metal is out and bentoutwardly from each end of the clip to form the pintles on which thearms are pivoted.

The snufier is attached as a unit to the burner by placing the clipagainst a side of the wick tube with the end 2| hooked onto an edgethereof. The latch end 22 is then pressed so that it will click onto theother edge face of the wick tube. This securely holds it in place belowthe flared 25 orifice of the tube. It will be readily understood that inthe event of the lamp or lantern being overturned, the snufier platethat happens to be uppermost will be thrown over the wick to extinguishit.

What I claim is:-

In a snuffing device in which snufiing members are swingably arrangedabout a fiat-sided wick tube, a detachable clip providing a support forsaid snuffing members adapted to be applied sidewise of the wick tube,said clip consisting of a metal plate disposed across one side of thewick tube with an incurvate hook end engaged with an edge of the wicktube, the other end of said plate being bent incurvate to engage theother edge of the wick tube and continued into an out-turned portion toform a latch that will snap sidewise on the wick tube, and a pair ofaligned pintles struck out of the clip ends to swingably support thesnufiing members.

CHARLES IRVINE.

